BBC journalist Komla Dumor dies

Presenter of BBC World News and its "Focus on Africa" programme suddenly dies of heart attack in London.

19 Jan 2014 01:28 GMT

Dumor, left, with Mo Ibrahim, the chairman of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, in Ethiopia last November [AP]

Komla Dumor, one of Ghana's best-known journalists, has died suddenly in London where he was working for the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Dumor, who was 41, died of a heart attack, according to the BBC on Saturday. He was a presenter on BBC World News and its "Focus on Africa" programme.

The Ghanaian President, John Dramani Mahama, mourned Dumor's death, posting on Twitter, "Our nation has lost one of its finest ambassadors".

Dumor joined BBC World Service radio in 2007, four years after winning the Ghana Journalist of the Year, for the first time.

In a statement posted on the BBC website, the television broadcaster's Global News Director Peter Horrocks said Dumor was "a leading light of African journalism".

"Africa's energy and enthusiasm seemed to shine through every story Komla told," the statement read.

In his last post on Facebook, where he has about 107,000 followers, Dumor said he was "looking forward" to interviewing a former South Sudan child soldier and musician Emmanuel JAL, in his television programme.

Learning of Dumor's death, the musician said on Twitter, "Oh no, this is sad, may he rest in peace, I can't believe."

Dumor was born on October 3, 1972 in Accra, Ghana, the Vibe Ghana website states. His grandfather was Philip Gbeho, the composer of the Ghanaian national anthem, it said.

The website said Dumor initially studied medicine at the University of Ghana, but eventually graduated with a socialy and psychology degrees. He later attended Harvard University, where he graduated with a master's degree in public administration.

He was married to Kwansema, with whom he had three children, according to the report.